EU farmers choose to grow biotech crops to boost their competitiveness, but are the EU’s Ag Ministers listening?
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When the EU 27 agriculture Ministers begin their 2 day Council meeting to discuss the farming sector but not specifically the key issue of competitiveness, EuropaBio, the biotech industry association, released figures on biotech crop cultivation in Europe. These figures showed that more EU farmers are choosing to go biotech to boost their competitiveness despite a 10 year moratorium on new product approvals.
The total area cultivated with biotech crops in the EU in 2008 is 107 719 hectares in 7 countries, a 21% increase over 2007. The cultivated acreage of biotech crops has increased over ten fold in Poland and Romania in 2008, doubled in Slovakia and increased substantially (68%) in the Czech Republic versus 2007. In Spain, where most of the EU’s biotech crops are grown, the cultivated acreage continues to increase (+5%) after 11 years of experience with the applied technology.
2008 marks the 10 year anniversary since the last biotech crop was approved for cultivation in the EU. Indeed, the only biotech crop allowed to be grown in the EU is one type of Bt maize. It contains a gene that allows the plant to defend itself against the European corn borer, an insect pest which is present primarily in southern and middle Europe.
Releasing the figures ahead of a 2 day meeting of the EU Agriculture Ministers, EuropaBio's Executive Director of GBE, Nathalie Moll, said “We are delighted to see that the uptake of biotech crops continues to grow substantially every year in many EU countries even though no new crops have been approved for cultivation since 1998. EU farmers are clearly interested in the products of biotechnology. We hope that the EU’s Institutions including the Agriculture Ministers are taking note and will start approving products again in response to their farmers’ needs and the advice of their own safety authority.”
There are around 50 products awaiting approval in the EU, 19 of which are for cultivation. “We strongly urge Europe’s policy makers to end the 10 year moratorium on cultivation approvals and give European farmers equal rights to their global competitors to choose the products which they believe are best to protect their crops and increase their competitiveness.” said Jerome Peribere, the CEO of Dow AgroSciences who presented the figures to the press today in Brussels.
Biotech crops are a tool for farmers to increase crop productivity while decreasing the impact on the environment and natural resources. Two hundred and nine biotech crops are under cultivation or development in 46 countries around the world. Many of these crops, after being grown by non-EU farmers, can be imported into Europe and used as food or feed.
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